“We can do more together” Meet Lenore C., Former AVON 39 Walker

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Lenore (in blue) with her teammates

This year, our 3-Dayers will see some new faces on walks across the country. That is because we are going to be welcoming walkers from AVON 39 into our pink family — and what a welcome addition they will be! Every new participant, from AVON 39 or any other source, is another warrior in our fight against breast cancer.

One new walker who has already joined the 3-Day® is Lenore C., who, along with some of her past AVON 39 teammates, will be walking the Philadelphia 3-Day. Lenore was born in Philly, and her family still lives there, so she is especially excited to be returning home for a cause she loves.

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“I’m excited to walk for freedom from breast cancer in the town that freedom built, and to be cheered on by (sort of) a home crowd.”

And how does she feel about making the switch from the AVON 39 walk (a two-day, 39-mile breast cancer walk that ended in 2017) to our 60-mile 3-Day? She is taking the new challenge on with enthusiasm and motivation!

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“When I saw Susan G. Komen was reaching out to AVON 39-ers, I felt a kinship and felt welcome. We are all in this together, after all. I have always known we can do more together than we could ever do alone. We can cure this thing! I’m walking so that one day, soon, daughters and sons will wonder what was breast cancer the same way they wonder what the heck we’re talking about when we mention rotary phones.”

She, and three members (so far) of her team, Team Transformation, will be making the journey from New York to Pennsylvania in pursuit of this goal. They are excited to join the 3-Day family, and have already begun training and fundraising together. Lenore plans to raise at least $5,000 but secretly has a goal of hitting $7,500.

How is she working to hit that goal? She’s doing it with teamwork!

Team Transformation has been combining training and fundraising with fun, local events in their community. “Bake sale, walk. Grocery store setup, walk. Talent show, walk. Joy of Walking class then a walk.”

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When they can’t walk together, they even FaceTime as they train separately. Anything to keep the family feel of their team alive. If she has to walk alone, Lenore listens to audiobooks to stay motivated, and gets in training whenever she can, be it early morning, late night, or even at lunch. After years on 39-mile weekends, she knows that training will be more important than ever for the 3-Day.

She is following the “your goal will become your warm up” mentality, using social media and apps to track her training while she breaks in her walking shoes, stretches her muscles, and gets ready for one of her favorite weekends of the year.

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She walks, and will keep walking… always. For herself, and for all the warriors and More Than Pink® people in her own life.

“Geri, my stepmom, 15 years a survivor, is More Than Pink! My mom, Jean, one of the strongest, most compassionate women I know is More Than Pink! And following their model strength, so is their daughter: I am More Than Pink! Ariel and Shya Kane, with their support for seeing the brilliance in all people, are More than Pink!”

We are so happy to welcome Lenore, Team Transformation, and all our future 3-Day family members to the Susan G. Komen 3-Day family with open arms!

 

Fundraising Friday: Plan a 3-Day Spring Scavenger Hunt

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It’s Friday, it’s spring, and (hopefully) the sun is shining! It’s the perfect time to get outside and enjoy nature, all while raising money for the 3-Day of course! With April being Earth Month, and Earth Day coming up on April 22nd, you can take advantage of the Mother Earth-appreciation and host an outdoor Spring Scavenger Hunt this weekend.

If you are part of a team, this is a perfect way to get your teammates together and do something fun, but if you’re a solo walker, you can also reach out to your local coaches and see if you can help plan a larger event for walkers from your area.

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The concept is simple: Meet in a local park or outdoor area, and hand out a list of spring and 3-Day themed items they must find. The catch? They must ask people for help, or ask them for the items directly (no just picking up off the ground!), and every person they talk to must receive a donation form or 3-Day business card.

Letting people know, even strangers, about your local 3-Day and your own personal goals, could result in lots of donations you wouldn’t get otherwise! You never know how someone may have been affected by breast cancer. Also, encourage your participants to stop into local businesses and spots like the library or Town Hall while they’re searching to leave a 3-Day flyer behind. You’ll cover your town in a pretty pink bubble!

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How should you go about planning this event?

First, you’ll need to print donation forms where your participants can fill out their information to get donations, but also print out general “Join Me” 3-Day cards that your scavenger hunters can leave at businesses.

Next, come up with your list of spring items! Some of our ideas are:

  • A pink flower from a local florist
  • A selfie with your local barista
  • A piece of pink ribbon or string
  • A selfie with someone wearing pink
  • A picture of a school or local track/playground area
  • A photo with or of local wildlife (you can include pets if you like – and be mindful not to touch or disturb the animals)
  • A ticket from your local dry cleaners
  • A map of your town and/or local park
  • A picture of a pink house,door, or flower pot
  • A selfie with a local firefighter or policeman

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Then print out your list, and start gathering your friends! Again, working with a local coach might help recruit more 3-Day walkers, but you can also use this as a fun family activity. Getting your loved ones involved in your fundraising will help you raise money, but also connect the people in your life to your 3-Day cause.

What items should we add to the scavenger hunt list? What are your spring fundraising plans? Tell us in the comments!

Tales from a Slumber Party Tent: Kendall C., San Diego 3-Day Walker

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Glamping is a huge part of the 3-Day experience, and our fields of pink tents are always a welcome sight for participants after a long day out on the 3-Day trail. Last year, though, participants had the opportunity to upgrade their glamping experience even further with our Slumber Party tents! Complete with air mattresses, a friendly doormat, camp chairs and more, they were a special reward for those who had recruited two new walkers to our pink family.

And they’ll be back in 2018! Open to walkers and crew, if you recruit two new 3-Day walkers by May 31, you can have a big pink slumber party on-event! You and your pals can celebrate your 60-mile journey in a Slumber Party Tent, a large tent that sleeps up to 4, complete with air mattresses, sheets, pillows, camp chairs and a phone charger. We can promise it will be tons of fun, especially because you’ll have your friends with you on the walk. Don’t take our word for it though! Kendall C., who walked her first 3-Day last year, got the luxury of spending her weekend in the Slumber Party Tent with her teammates from The Divine Sisters of the Ta-Ta Sisterhood…and she’s already trying to recruit friends for 2018 so she can be back in that tent again in November!

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“I’m always telling people how much I loved it and how it’s an experience I will never forget. Actually, one of the best in my life!”

Part of that was thanks to her team, who recruited her as part of their neighborhood team. Kendall walked for her three friends who have all been diagnosed with breast cancer, but didn’t know when she signed up that she would be sleeping in the Slumber Party Tent. Talk about an extra perk!

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“The tent was SO much larger than we anticipated and the air mattresses and pillows were such a treat to have! I also couldn’t believe there were chairs, which we loved having at the end of the day to relax in. We also would bring all our chairs together to hang out in the evening before bed. I also remember a welcome doormat, and a little table complete with a fake succulent! I mean, that is glamping in my book and I’ll take it any day! To top it all off, there was a cell phone charger we ALL got to use, even at the same time. We were so, so happy to have the Slumber Party tent and it completely made our camping experience perfect!”

Kendall says all the special touches made the experience all the more enjoyable, and encourages everyone to recruit and try to earn their own Slumber Party Tent experience this year. It brought her team even closer together, especially as they decorated the larger tent. Her tent won the decoration contest for its “All I Want for Christmas is a Cure” theme, which Kendall is still glowing with pride over.

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“When else can you decorate a tent while camping with your girlfriends?! It even heightened the excitement we already had for the walk. We put tons of Christmas lights on it and you could probably see our tent from a mile away! Once we had our theme, “All I Want for Christmas is a Cure,” we could not stop buying pink Christmas decorations. We had pink stockings (with our names in glitter of course), pink garland, pink Christmas trees, and I even wrapped presents in pink paper! It was really fun to come up with all the ideas with my tent mates too.”

Her enthusiasm for all things 3-Day extends beyond her decorating success last year, and right into her training and recruiting goals for this year as well.

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“I am still riding on the high from last year’s walk! It completely exceeded my expectations in every way. The training brought an entire new group of friends my way and I looked forward to every training walk with them. I loved feeling a part of something and felt like I was making a difference! I was raising awareness and fundraising at the same time and that felt good.

The walk itself was also so much fun! The 3-Day crew took such amazing care of us and we always had everything we needed. Whether it was food or drink, help from the medics, our amazing tents, and they even hosted an amazing family night. I really loved every minute and once I start telling somebody about my experience, I just can’t stop!”

Want to join Kendall in 2018? Register now…and then get recruiting! Go to The3Day.org/Refer for all the details and get the Recruitment ID you need to recruit two friends to walk 60 miles with you by May 31st, and you could be enjoying your very own Slumber Party Tent!